The Grey In Between
by Hatelikingbatman
Summary: The Avengers have to take care of powerful teenagers. And some come from space? Fun for everyone.
1. Lenalee- The Start

Lenalee wasn't complaining about Asgard. It was a beautiful world, really. The scenery was as if it came from a fairy tale, she never could have dreamed of a place so colorful. But Lenalee was getting bored with her life here. There wasn't much an eleven year old was allowed to do on their own, especially when they weren't actually Asgardian. Sure, Lenalee knew she could do more than the average human but she couldn't exactly explain to an adult that she had a past life where she lived on a planet that was filled with human killing machines that she fought since she was little. She wasn't even allowed to fly, or she would be discovered. Dark boots was right there to be used and she couldn't use them because Asgardians don't fly. Who decided that these people could live almost forever and have immense strength and magic, but were unable to fly without outside help! It was such a shame. Lenalee wanted to practice in the air, really get her body used to moving with the grace of used to. She didn't want to never regain her past muscle. Being a weapon was never fun, but she felt useless like this. Fighting in the air was extremely different from combat on the ground and Lenalee wanted to get up to speed. For now she was stuck to doing flips on the grass, which wasn't half as fun or easy. Lenalee was able to find places where she could at least activate her innocence, but flying needed space and it was hard to be inconspicuous when you're a kid flying through the air. All in all, Lenalee wanted an escape and she was desperate to find one.

Lenalee found the answers to her problems in Loki, which she didn't really find surprising. Loki had always been the more reasonable of the two brothers and Thor was known to take action without fully thinking of the consequences. She really didn't know why Odin treated them so differently. Sure, Loki was adopted but that's no excuse. Adoption meant a person was willing to treat the child as their son. But just because Odin was "all knowing" didn't mean he always made the right decision. Honestly, Lenalee had half a mind to stomp up to him and lecture him on the importance of family because they didn't always last. She knew that better than anyone. She also was aware that no one else but Freya knew that Loki was adopted, but it wasn't exactly a challenge to put it all together. First, Loki was different from other Asgardians. He had magic for one, and not the simple elemental kind. He had magic that was more than simple brute force and it was frowned upon, by Odin. However the main clue that Loki was not his son was that Odin himself did not treat Loki as a son. It wasn't him simply being a bad father because he gave Thor more than half of the care he showed Loki. And that was what really upset her. So when Thor was banished to "midgard", wherever that was, Lenalee was hoping Odin would take this time to actually get to know his son. Then she found out that Loki discovered who his parents actually were. She would not have guessed frost giants at first glance, but it certainly explained why Odin never truly accepted him. When Loki stormed out of the palace after confronting Odin, Lenalee moved from her spying ledge on the ceiling and followed him. She knew that Loki eventually notice that someone was tailing him because she wasn't trying to keep herself concealed.

Loki kept up the charade of storming off unaware until he reached a waterfall and abruptly turned around to face her.

"Who are you and why are you following me? Do you not know who I am?" He sneered at her in distaste.

Lenalee was unfazed.

"I know that you are a prince of Asgard, but only of choice and not blood."

She never did like beating around the bush. Lenalee watched as Loki's face paled and then the anger start to take over.

"Who are you to know information that was kept from me until this morning?!" He snarled as he brought a dagger to her throat. "Do you intend to mock me for trying to win a fruitless battle for the throne? Tear me down more for finding that I have no family here, that I am alone?" Loki shouted but the dagger was not putting pressure on her throat even as he seemed to get more hysterical. Lenalee cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the dagger.

"I think the real question is why are you threatened by an eleven year old? Do you intend to cut me off at 11 winters with that dagger?"

Lenalee made her voice as sarcastic as possible but knew her childlike voice was ruining it. Still it made Loki drop the dagger, which she considered a win. She wasn't scared of Loki, but it was much easier to have a conversation when both people were not under threat. Loki still looked on edge so she tried to placate him.

"I know you are upset by the lie you discovered, but I am not here as an enemy. I am here so you can discuss your emotions with a neutral third party," she raised her arms up in surrender.

Loki looked at her suspiciously. "And why should I tell you anything? You said yourself that you are young, what could you possibly offer me?"

Lenalee smiled. "Sometimes it is easier to speak to a stranger, and I just happen to be a stranger that listened in to that entire conversation so there is nothing you need to hide."

Loki groaned and shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm actually considering this." He glared at her. "You're a menace did you know that?"

Lenalee's grin got wider and she let out a giggle. "I definitely knew that. So what's the main thing that's got you upset?" She tilted her head curiously.

Loki's shoulders dropped as he let out a deep breath. He had a considering look on his face as he tried to find the root of his upset. "I'm furious that Odin had the nerve to pretend I had a real chance for the throne. I was always being compared to Thor and I could never seem to beat him. He was the golden child. Thor is actually quite the sore loser but still treated me well in this rivalry because he simply never lost. I've always been different and treated as lesser by Odin for it. If I never had a chance for the throne, I would have at least l liked to have been treated as a son. But I didn't even get that," He smiled bitterly. "I was just a tool for Thor to look good. Maybe Thor and Freya think differently, but in Odin's eye he only had one son."

Lenalee smiled sadly as she heard the tale she already knew. Being alone gave her lots of free time to spy on the palace. She considered her words a bit before responding. "It seems that you are mostly bitter that Odin never treated you as his son, right?" Loki froze before slowly nodding his head. "Well who cares what he thinks? He's a jerk. You still have a mom and a brother who love you right?" Loki looked like her was about to object. "And don't tell me some lie that they don't count because they aren't your real blood related family. I'm not saying that you're not allowed to be upset that Odin doesn't treat you well, I'm reminding you that he isn't your only family. We don't know if your birth parents would have cared for you better than Odin has, but we do know that Freya and Thor treat you like family and that's what matters. Family is who you choose, not who gave birth to you. Just because Odin doesn't know that doesn't mean that I'm not right. My family died right in front of me when I was six, and then it was only me and my brother. But then I became friends with three of the best people I have ever known and now my family is bigger than it ever was." She smiled forlornly. "My brother isn't here anymore and I have been separated from my friends, but they will always be my family no matter what and I regret nothing. I was alone before they came and now I'm not, even though they aren't here physically they're with me in spirit. Sure, you won't get the throne. But it doesn't seem that great anyway. Who wants to sit in a chair all day? Wouldn't you rather fly around wherever you want? You can do that now that you know you're not tied to the throne. If you still feel inferior to your brother why don't we go to Midgard and visit him? We can make fun of him trying to fit in and explore. I'm sure the gatekeeper will let us through."

Loki perked up at the thought of making fun of Thor. "That actually sounds like a good idea, child. But I refuse to let you go in those rags you call clothes. The only thing suitable you have is those boots for goodness sake!" Loki looked distressed as he looked over her worn coarse dress that was just a potato sack she made holes in. Lenalee shrugged and said "I didn't exactly have a lot of options. But what can you do?" Loki smirked at her and replied, "Are you willing to let me do magic on you? I have always wanted to try this spell." Lenalee clapped her hands in excitement. Magic! She vigorously nodded her head. Loki chuckled and uttered "Vist" while waving his right arm in front of her. Suddenly she was in a stretchable blue green shirt with leather around her chest for protection there was a gold decoration of a rose with the end starting at her left shoulder and the flower on the bottom right. She had a flowy pink skirt that was lined with gold on the bottom and a wave decoration on the front. She somehow got her two pigtails back and had a thick grass green cloth wrapped around her knuckles that went up to just below her elbow. Lenalee looked in awe at the outfit Loki had made for her. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love it! Can I keep this?" Loki chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded at her. Lenalee jumped in the air and let out a whoop of enjoyment. And she had apparently forgotten dark boots was still activated from her spying on the ceiling of the palace because then she noticed she hadn't fallen back down. Still hovering in the air, she peeked at Loki with an embarrassed expression and holding her hands behind her back. Loki smiled at her with an interested look on his face. "You certainly come with many surprises don't you child." He then frowned for a moment considering something. "Before we leave for Midgard, could you tell me something you should have told me before?" Lenalee looked at Loki with confusion but nodded anyway. "What is your name?" Loki tilted his head in curiosity.

Lenalee grinned broadly and held out her hand for a handshake.

"My name is Lenalee! It's nice to meet you Sir Loki!" Loki smiled and took her hand and shook it gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lenalee, I'm sure we will have quite a fun time together." Lenalee then let herself drop to the ground and looked up at Loki with a sneaky look on her face.

"You ready to see your brother make a fool of himself?"

Loki smirked, "Oh I'm more than ready." And then they were off to see the gatekeeper, excited to have some fun in a new place.


	2. Kanda- Here We Go Again

Kanda woke up calm. His eyes opened slowly and he suddenly took a deep breath. He looked around as he felt liquid slowly slip down his body into a drain under his feet. As he took in his surroundings, he felt his heart stop when he saw that he was in a clear tube, various giant machines surrounding it. Kanda wondered what exactly he did in his first life to deserve being a science experiment a second time. Surely one time was enough. What happened? How did he get here? Kanda was done with being clueless. He was ready to summon Mugen to break the tube door open, but stopped as it slid open on it's own. He warily stepped out of the tube, ready for an attack. He saw nothing but the strangely glowing machines and a clipboard on the wall. Kanda stepped closer to the wall to read the words, hoping to gain some clarity. He froze as he slowly read more of the papers. He was thirteen years old again, reborn. He had managed to find another twisted organization that wanted to make him a human weapon from scratch. Distracted, Kanda jumped as he heard a humming sound coming toward him at a startling rate, quickly hiding behind one of the larger machines. He hoped they didn't see his water trail. The sound stopped, slowly getting quieter. Kanda he the clink of a machine movement.

"Jarvis are you sure there is a weapon here? All I see is an empty tube. Yeah, I know that the Hydra plans described a powerful weapon in this room, but do you see any weapons? I thought so."

Kanda peered at the person from his hiding place. Who were they and who was Jarvis? He needed to find a way out that didn't involve causing a scene in a place where there might be hundreds to capture him. Mugen was made to kill Akuma, not humans, and Kanda wanted to keep it that way. Nothing good happened from murder, he knew too well. He hoped Alma was spared from rebirth this time, they deserved some rest for once. He paused as he looked at the person speaking. He glared at the man inside a giant mechanical suit, wondering where the companion he was talking to was. Kanda needed to be prepared for a sneak attack. The man suddenly started speaking again.

"Damn I was really hoping that I would be able to destroy everything important on this base but it seems like we got a missing weapon." Kanda stilled as the man started pacing around the room, cutting off all his escape routes.

"Where on earth could it be? Jarvis scan the building again." The man suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Jarvis what do you mean there is someone in the room with me. Come out you Hydra goon and let me take you out!" Kanda cursed his luck and hid deeper in the corner, waiting for the man's course of action. He also tried to figure out if he had ever heard of this 'Hydra'. He heard a sigh and felt the tension in the room drop.

"Oh it's just a kid. Jarvis you need to tell me these things first. Sorry for the scare kid, I'm not here to hurt you, I promise. I'm Tony Stark!" Kanda thought this 'Tony' person was rather full of himself if Kanda was expected to know his name, but decided he was too dumb to be much of a threat. "Am I expected to know that name? Also you just burst in here, how do I know to trust you? A dumb man in a robot suit? In my experience that never ends well." Kanda recalled all the Komurin robots and shivered in disgust. However, the man didn't seem to take his comment well.

"Dumb! Do you know how much money I make from being a genius? This suit is one of a kind built by none other than myself! Japan would kill to have my tech!!!"

Kanda snorted in disbelief.

"Is that supposed to be cool? Japan is a war zone, it doesn't have much of anything."

The man started pacing again now on a rant. "I'll let you know the war was awful but it's not like the country is weak, their tech sells fairly well in the market and it's still pretty enough for people to go for nice tourist visits. So! I am the best and even big powers want me. No, I am the big power. I'm so famous I just tell the press everything because they'll find out the truth eventually. The thing is everyone knows this, so why don't you?" Kanda wasn't listening anymore. Japan wasn't a wasteland? It had a thriving innovative community and was safe enough to visit? Was it decades in the future from the last time Kanda remembered being awake? But 'Tony' described the war as somewhat recent. A different war? Kanda had too many questions, and the man was his best way to get them. Kanda decided to take his chances. He walked out of his hiding spot to speak to the strange man face to face, hair still dripping and still in the weird white skin tight suit he woke up in.

"Tell me 'Tony', what year is it?" Kanda figured he could at least get a year from the idiot who was giving him all this information freely. "Damn kid what happened to you? It's 2019 and you looked like someone tried to drown you, who does that to a kid nowadays?" Kanda just gestured at the facility around them with a deadpan look on his face.

"Ok yeah Hydra would. But why did they take you? Actually better question, where do you live so I can take you home? It doesn't matter if it's far, I have a private jet and loads of cash." Kanda smiled bitterly.

"You see, Tony, that's the problem. I don't think you can. In fact I think rather than take me home, you might have to take me in." Tony didn't seem to get it eyebrow raised in question. Kanda sighed, he didn't want to deal with this.

"Are you sure you're not dumb? What do you think that tube was for? The reason you can't find the weapon isn't because this 'Hydra' hid it, it's because the weapon is alive. It's right here. I'm the weapon. Now what are you going to do, Mr. Genius?" Tony's face went pale as he stared at Kanda in horror.

"What the fuck?"


	3. Tony- Well this is New

Tony sat in the jet with the kid across from him, reevaluating his life choices. Did he do something in a past life to deserve this kind of shit happening to him? He needed to clear his head. Thank god he didn't immediately agree to that sketchy avenger program because what he was doing right now was a government nightmare. He was taking the kid to his house in Malibu, and Tony was a hundred percent sure Pepper was going to kill him. Luckily for him, Pepper was on vacation from dealing with all his bullshit and wasn't coming back for another week, so he had a bit of time to ease her into it. So maybe bringing a human weapon to his house was a bad idea, but he was an adult and could make his own decisions. Even if they were bad ones. But the kid had just looked so bitter about being a weapon, and it seemed like Hydra hadn't corrupted him yet. At least not in the evil kind of way.

Tony remembered the kid laughing at him after Tony freaked out about Hydra making this kid so they could have a weapon. The whole scene was kind of hard to forget.

"Did you really think this 'Hydra' was above brainwashing a human from scratch? Not that they got that far, it seems." The kid crossed his arms. He sure did have a cynical view on life for someone who had been out of their tube for ten minutes. Tony remembered using Jarvis to unlock everything in the building when he first got there, and was pretty sure that was why the kid wasn't still in the tube. Tony frowned at said tube, now disliking it a whole lot more.

"I knew Hydra was the worst, I just didn't think they'd have the tech to make a human in their lab. It explains why so many goons were trying to protect this place before I took them all out though." Tony was wondering what on Earth he was supposed to do with a kid who had nowhere to go but wasn't exactly safe to put in foster care. He ended up with what might have been the worst and best idea, which ended up being bringing the kid home. He knew he wouldn't be a good caretaker, but Tony's actual trouble was going to be convincing the kid. He needed to play his cards right. "Hey kid you want to get out of here without any government lackeys coming after you for existing right?" The kid looked suspicious but nodded his head. "Can you prove to me your not brainwashed to fight me whenever I'm vulnerable, like out of this armour?" The kid glared at him like Tony was stupid. "First, how am I supposed to know if I've been brainwashed? Second if I was brainwashed, why would I tell you?" He sighed in exasperation. "But there is a clipboard with all the 'weapon information' if that will make you feel better." He gestured to the wall next to the tube, where Tony saw a clipboard with papers hanging on it. Tony felt that he didn't deserve the kid's glare, he was distracted with making his plan and just needed the information quickly before the government started questioning him. He went to the clipboard and started flipping through it Jarvis scanning everything so he could review it later. The kid was thirteen in physical age and they hadn't made it to the process of storing his brain with information about the outside world or giving him the ability to talk. Tony looked at the kid again, questions whirring in his brain. The kid seemed fine with talking and had his own opinions already, mainly on Tony's intelligence which he did not appreciate. So what went wrong? Or right in this case. Tony couldn't find anything from the papers to answer that question, but they told him enough to see that the kid couldn't be working for hydra. If the kid was safe then it was time to state his case.

"Kid would you be willing to stay with me? I know we just met today, but I think it's the best option for both of us. I get to make sure you're not running around causing havoc and you won't have the government even know you exist. Do we have a deal?" Tony held out his hand, knowing the armour was still on but wanting the gesture to be there. The kid glanced at him in suspicion.

"I told you I was a weapon and you ask me to live with you? I'm really starting to doubt your 'genius' Tony. But I guess you're my only way out of here and I can escape if I have to." If he thought Tony's security was worse than Hydra's then the kid was going to be having an unpleasant surprise when they got back. The kid frowned viciously at Tony's hand. "I'll come with you and see how this turns out, I'm not expecting this to go well, but don't let me down." He then walked to get closer to Tony and cautiously shook the offered hand. Tony was surprised the kid agreed so quickly, but was grateful he didn't have to argue hours with the kid. He let go of the kid's hand and started walking out of the room, towards his jet. "Great! Then follow me kid let's get out of here before Hydra sends a bomb to this place to try to hide their evidence." The kid scoffed at his cheery tone, but did follow him so Tony considered that a win. When they got to the jet though they did have some problems like the kid not knowing what it was and not believing it could fly. He also asked about trains, which was weird because why did he know about trains but not jets? Tony wasn't going to question it yet. Definitely later though. The kid did eventually get on because Tony used his suit to fly and said the jet worked the same way, which hurt to say because of how untrue it was but it was the only way to convince the kid. He did get on after that, though when they took off he was clenching his seat so hard Tony was almost afraid he would bend the metal. Good thing Tony chose the jet with speed and not comfort or the kid would definitely had wrecked it. But now they were just sitting across from each other, Jarvis flying because Tony wanted to keep an eye on the kid for now. As Tony stopped reviewing that whole scene he realized the kid was doing a pose he recognized.

"Kid, are you actually meditating? What kid does that willingly?" The kid glared at him and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I'm not exactly the kind of kid you can call normal, Tony." Well, he did have a point there, but Tony was still surprised. Thankfully right then, Jarvis told him the plane had landed at the house.

Tony had realized on the jet that he was missing things for a kid to live in his house. He could make do with most of the things already there, but the kid needed clothes. The kid seemed to agree with this notion, if the way he was tugging at his suit was any indication. Thank goodness he had the foresight to call several stores to bring some clothing options to the house so the kid could pick out clothes. When they exited the jet Tony led the kid towards the living room where all the stores and their clothes would be waiting. The kid ended up choosing a sweater with ACDC in red on the front and loose black pants with several pockets. He spent about ten minutes just wandering around the clothes and making faces, but he seemed to get over it and chose those clothes along with some lace up black boots. Tony was just happy the kid managed to pick an outfit, even if he didn't understand why the kid chose to wear the sweater crop top and not the normal sweater. Oh well, Tony didn't care enough to stop the kid and he didn't plan on spending any more time shopping. After the kid was done Tony showed him the room he would be staying in and he immediately went to the bathroom inside. Tony sighed and told Jarvis to inform the kid that after doing whatever he should come downstairs the kid could eat at least a sandwich. But then the kid rushed out and yelled at him, "WHY IS THERE A VOICE IN THE WALLS" which made Tony smile and start to explain. He might be having more fun than he thought he would.


End file.
